Safety lock means for cabinets



March 4, J. E. GORRELL SAFETY LOCK MEANS FOR CABINETS Filed 001;. 31, 1940 QWW /al/n lfiffza Patented Mar. 4, 1941 "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE i I 2,288,699 1 c ssrs-ry LOOK mans son csnmms so}: a. Gen-ell, Battle ones; such, assitnor to tile Creek Sanitarium and Benevolent Association, Battle Creek, Mich, a corporation of Application October 31, 1940, Serial No. 383,892

2 Claims. (01. 292-1) This invention relates to medicine cabinets, and has primarily for its object to provide means in connection therewith for sealing or closing at least a portion of the cabinet in a manner which is impossible to be opened by a small child, but can be readily opened by an adult, thereby enabling poisons or other materials or articles, particularly dangerous in the hands of small children, to be safely kept in a manner accessible only to adults.

a A further object of the invention is the provision of a locking means for a cabinet door which will permit opening of the door only by the use of two hands of an adult size.

The invention is fully described in the following specification and one preferred embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a cabinet embodying the invention, with the main door fully opened, and the supplemental door equipped with the invention is partially opened, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail of one of the door locking means.

Referring to the drawing, I designates a cabinet suitable for the storage of medicines or the like, and being closed by a door 2. This cabinet, in the present instance, is provided interiorly with a compartment 3 which may have one or more shelves therein, and is closed by an auxiliary door 4 hinged to one side thereof, in the present instance, for swinging opening and closing movements. It is preferable to have the auxiliary door 4 so disposed within the cabinet with respect to the door 2 that a closing of the door 2 effects a closing of the door 4 should the latter be open.

The auxiliary door 4 is locked in closed position by two spaced catch members 5, 5, adapted to have locking engagement with respective stationary catch parts in the interior of the cabinet. Each catch I is normally engaged with its stationary catch part when the door is closed, so 'as to retain the door in such position, the catch for such purpose preferably being of the spring actuated type.

Each catch 5 is individually controlled, in the present instance, by a push botton I projecting in exposed position without the front side of the door 4, so that when the door is in closed locked position simultaneouspressure on eachpush button I will efiect a release of the catch means to permit an opening of the door. The spacing between the two push buttons I should be such as to enable the distance therebetween to be spanned by an open adult hand of normal size so that the respective catch memhere may be released by pressure of-the thumb and a finger of one hand simultaneously against the respective push buttons when the hand is in substantially full open position for such purpose.

When the push buttons 1 have been pressed inward to eflect a release of the respective catches, it is necessary to effect a pull on the door to open it. Thisis accomplished by the operator engaglng with his other hand a pull member l0 attached to the outer side of the door in some convenient position for such purpose. In the present instance, the pull III is located in oflset relation to the vertical line of the push buttons 1. In locating the pull l0, care should be taken that it is not so closely positioned to one or the other of the push buttons as to enable the distance therebetween to be spanned by the small hand of a child in a manner that he is able to engage the pull with one finger and the 'push button with the thumb of the same hand.

so that it is possible for him both to release the catch and pull out on the Dull member with one hand and use the other hand to release the other catch.

The span of the normal hand of an adult is about seven and one-half or eight inches, so that the spacing of the. two catch members should be for normal purposes not less ordinarily than seven inches, and the pull should be spaced 9. suiiicient distance from both catches to prevent the operation of both the pull and a catch member with one hand.

It is found in practice that this combination of pull and separate catch means for a cabinet door provides a very eflfective means for preventing small children from opening the door and thus obtaining access to the interior of the cabinet where poisons, or other medicines or articles which would be injurious to a child, are kept.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claims;

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United .States Letters Patent is:

1. A controlling means for a movable closure of a medicine cabinet. including a pair of catch means each carried by said closure for latching it inclosed position, a manually operable con trol member for each of the catch means, said from each other on the closure a distance greater than the normal stretch between the thumb and any one oi the fingers of the hand of a child and no more than a similar stretch on one normally sized hand of an adult in fully spread position to provide for operation thereof simmtaneously. means to tension the control members whereby the same can only eflect release or the catches (by maintaining pressure thereagainst by said adult hand of the operator in the closing direction of said closure to release said catch means, and separate pull means on the closure spaced from each of the control members at a distance in excess of the aforementioned stretch of a child's hand, so as to require the operator to manipulate the pull means with his other hand in opposition to and while maintaining his first 2,288,699 hand engaged with the control members in order to prevent possible opening or the closure before release of the control members.

2. A controlling means in accordance with claim 5, wherein the catches are spring tensioned and whereinthe control members'therefor are siidabie transversely of the closure, and have outer ends which project beyond the front face of the closure. said control members being loosely engaged with the catches and operable I inwardly oi the front face of the closure to release the catches so that upon any outward pull being'exerted on the control members in an attempt to open the closure. the catches will be 4 maintained in latched position.

- JOHN E. GORRELL.

, CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. V 4

Patent No. 2,255,699. March 1 19m.

JOHN E. GORRELL. It is hereby certified that error appears in the-printed specifieation of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, second column, line 5' claim 2, for the claim reference numeral "j" read --'-1--; and that the said Letters Patent shouldbe read with this correction therein thatthe same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 225d day of April, A. 1). 191m.

Henry Van Aradale, (seal), Aeting Commissioner of Patents. 

